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Boulder officials find body of woman washed away in flood

BOULDER — Authorities on Friday found the body of a woman who was washed away in raging floodwaters, one day after they recovered the body of her male companion.

So far, three deaths have been confirmed in the historic Boulder County flooding this week. One man was killed in Jamestown, and two 19-year-olds died amid flooding on Linden Drive.

Officials have not released identities yet, but family members said Wesley Quinlan died after trying to escape from a car stranded on Linden. They said the floodwaters also claimed the life of his girlfriend, Wiyanna Nelson.

As of late Friday night, 181 people were unaccounted for, meaning friends and family have been unable to reach them.

"Unaccounted for doesn't mean missing. It means we haven't heard back from them," Boulder County spokesman James Burrus said.

Also Friday night, the city announced that there had been a significant breach in its main wastewater pipeline to the treatment plant on 75th Street.

The approximate 300-foot breach is allowing untreated wastewater to discharge directly into Boulder Creek. There is no immediate threat to Boulder or Lafayette drinking water. Boulder's drinking water is drawn from reservoirs upstream of the city; Lafayette has been drawing its drinking water from Baseline Reservoir and has not been drawing drinking water from Boulder Creek, the city said in a news release.

Officials on Friday urged people to stay home, stay away or stay out of the water in the flooded streets and creeks of Boulder.

"Things are looking better, but still lots of fast moving water outside the banks," Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said in a note posted on Twitter. "Lots of debris in roadways."

Many roads and schools, including the University of Colorado, remained closed. CU postponed its football game Saturday against Fresno State.

Conditions remain dangerous, and city streets were nearly deserted. Tree limbs, mud and debris littered the roads, and fields were transformed into lakes. Businesses were closed, and many had notes on their doors blaming the flooding.

But there was some welcome news: Crews were able to reopen U.S. 36 in both directions between Boulder and Denver.

The National Weather Service said Boulder has had 13.55 inches of rain since the storm began.

Late Thursday, flood sirens blared in Boulder warning about a 30-foot wall of water roaring down Boulder Creek. The surge eased, however.

Kevin Dentsias, 32, said he was taking photos and shooting video around Boulder Creek when the sirens began going off.

"I saw the water rising right before my eyes," he said. "I didn't know how bad it was going to get. It scared me like the undertow in the ocean. It was so big. I couldn't even guess how powerful it was."

Evacuations remained in place for western Boulder and Eldorado Springs on Friday morning.

"We're still monitoring the weather and still making sure that folks are not in imminent danger," said Michael Banuelos, a city spokesman speaking for the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.

Banuelos said officials are not aware of any new fatalities overnight from the massive flooding.

Boulder officials on Friday urged people to stay away from their city, and asked those who are in Boulder to stay away from water.

"If you happen to fall into the water, it will be very difficult to get out," Beckner said at a news conference. "In some cases, you won't get out."

The Office of Emergency Management issued a simple plea via Twitter: "The most important help people can provide now is staying home and remaining calm. Responders need to get into communities."

Water levels into and through the city continue to run far above normal rates, officials said.

The weather forecast calls for more possible rain in the area Friday afternoon and evening.

"I stress, the danger is not over," Beckner said. "We ask people to keep that in mind."

People stood in long lines at Home Depot, where they tried to buy sump pumps, shop vacs and anything else they could use to begin cleaning up their flooded basements and homes.

Spectators gathered at Boulder High School, where the fields that held lacrosse and soccer practices and senior picnics had turned into a raging, brown river as Boulder Creek swelled its banks. They snapped photos, mystified.

"It's crazy. It's usually nowhere near like this," said Jose Alvarado, who graduated from the high school in 2011 and used to play kickball on the fields. "To see this is kind of astonishing. It's a great reminder that Mother Nature overpowers all humans. ... We just have to wait it out, see what happens and start to rebuild the green fields."

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